500 Low Sodium Recipes (21 page)

A Mexican meal in one pan. If you have trouble finding no-salt-added beans locally, they can be purchased from Healthy Heart Market or Salt Watcher or you can cook dry beans.

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

½ cup (80 g) onion, chopped

½ cup (60 g) red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups (450 g) no-salt-added kidney beans

2 cups (360 g) tomatoes, chopped and drained

1 cup (130 g) frozen corn

1 tablespoon (7.5 g) chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

For cornbread topping:

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (70 g) yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons (26 g) sugar

1 ½ tablespoons (21 g) sodium-free baking powder

1 cup (235 ml) skim milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

Brown beef with onion and bell pepper until no longer pink. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and spices and simmer 5 minutes. Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Combine milk, egg, and oil and pour into flour mixture, stirring until just moistened. Spread beef mixture in a greased 8 × 8-inch (20 × 20-cm) baking dish. Spread cornbread over top. Bake at 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7) until cornbread is done, 10 to 12 minutes.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
305 g water; 614 calories (30% from fat, 25% from protein, 45% from carb); 39 g protein; 21 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 10 g monounsaturated fat; 2 g polyunsaturated fat; 71 g carb; 13 g fiber; 14 g sugar; 400 mg calcium; 8 mg iron;
130 mg sodium
; 1705 mg potassium; 1787 IU vitamin A; 33 mg vitamin C; 131 mg cholesterol

A variation of the Bisquick impossible pie recipe, with most of the sodium removed. The nice part about this is you can quickly mix it up and put it in the oven without worrying about making pie crust.

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

1 onion, chopped

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon sodium-free baking powder

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter

1 cup (235 ml) skim milk

1 egg

1 tomato, sliced

4 ounces (115 g) Swiss cheese, shredded

Cook beef and onion until beef is brown and onion soft. Stir in pepper. Place in bottom of a greased 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Stir together flour and baking powder. Cut in butter. Stir in milk and egg. Pour over beef mixture. Bake at 400°F (200°C, gas mark 6) for 25 minutes. Top with tomato slices and cheese. Cook an additional 5 to 8 minutes, until cheese melts and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
120 g water; 261 calories (50% from fat, 29% from protein, 21% from carb); 19 g protein; 14 g total fat; 6 g saturated fat; 5 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 14 g carb; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 105 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
81 mg sodium
; 429 mg potassium; 456 IU vitamin A; 5 mg vitamin C; 98 mg cholesterol

This is another recipe borrowed from the Bisquick impossible pies concept that make its own crust as it bakes.

1 pound (455 g) lean ground beef

1 cup (250 g) no-salt-added spaghetti sauce

⅓
cup (85 g) ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons (5 g) Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup (235 ml) plus

1 tablespoon (15 ml) skim milk, divided

1 cup fresh (150 g) mozzarella cheese, grated

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon sodium-free baking powder

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter

1 egg

Heat oven to 400°F (200°C, gas mark 6). Grease a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Cook beef in a 10-inch (25-cm) skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in ½ cup (125 g) of the spaghetti sauce; heat until bubbly. Stir together the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the milk. Spread half of the beef mixture in a pie plate. Drop the cheese mixture by spoonfuls onto the beef mixture. Sprinkle with ½ cup (75 g) of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining beef mixture. Stir together flour and baking powder. Cut in butter. Stir in the remaining 1 cup (235 ml) of milk and the egg until blended. Pour into a pie plate. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup (75 g) mozzarella cheese. Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with the remaining spaghetti sauce, heated, if desired.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
139 g water; 367 calories (52% from fat, 31% from protein, 17% from carb); 28 g protein; 21 g total fat; 10 g saturated fat; 7 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 16 g carb; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 343 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
166 mg sodium
; 509 mg potassium; 740 IU vitamin A; 4 mg vitamin C; 117 mg cholesterol

This was originally a last-minute throw-together meal that turned out well enough to include here. It’s quick to put together, although it takes a while to bake, so you can go off and do something else.

1 ½ pounds (680 g) ground beef

1 onion, chopped

4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

12 ounces (340 g) frozen corn

1 cup (235 ml) low sodium beef broth

1 cup (110 g) Swiss cheese, shredded

Brown beef and onion in a skillet. Place in the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33-cm) baking dish. Layer potatoes and corn on top of beef. Pour broth over all. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 375°F (190°C, gas mark 5) °F until potatoes are tender, about an hour.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
320 g water; 521 calories (33% from fat, 26% from protein, 40% from carb); 34 g protein; 20 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 53 g carb; 5 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 33 mg calcium; 4 mg iron;
114 mg sodium
; 1225 mg potassium; 124 IU vitamin A; 20 mg vitamin C; 92 mg cholesterol

A meal in a pan. This one makes a lot, so it’s good for when you have the family all together or if you want some leftovers for lunch. The cornbread on the bottom adds some substance to this while adding minimum fat and sodium.

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

12 ounces (340 g) frozen mixed vegetables

3 cups (675 g) mashed potatoes, prepared according to package directions

4 ounces (115 g) Swiss cheese, shredded

For cornbread crust:

1 cup (110 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (105 g) cornmeal

1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar

2 teaspoons (9 g) sodium-free baking powder

1 cup (235 ml) skim milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

Sauté beef and onion. Drain. Cook vegetables until almost done. Drain. To make crust, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Combine milk, egg, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until just mixed. Spread cornbread in the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33-cm) baking dish sprayed with nonstick vegetable oil spray. On top of cornbread, layer meat mixture, veggies, and potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7) for 20 minutes.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
119 g water; 391 calories (32% from fat, 22% from protein, 46% from carb); 21 g protein; 14 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 5 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 44 g carb; 4 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 127 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
104 mg sodium
; 689 mg potassium; 118 IU vitamin A; 18 mg vitamin C; 77 mg cholesterol

This comes more or less directly from my daughter’s theory of cooking … namely, if you can’t think of anything else for dinner, make something Italian. Works for me.

8 ounces (230 g) spaghetti

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 cup (225 g) low sodium cottage cheese

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

½ cup (80 g) onion, chopped

½ cup (60 g) green bell pepper, chopped

2 cups (475 ml) no-salt-added tomatoes

6 ounces (170 g) no-salt-added tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup (60 g) fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Stir butter into spaghetti. Mix in eggs. Form into a “crust” in a greased 10-inch (25-cm) pie pan. Top with cottage cheese. In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and pepper until meat is done and vegetables are tender. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and heat through. Spread over noodles and cottage cheese. Bake in 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4) oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella about 5 minutes before end of baking.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
203 g water; 344 calories (47% from fat, 32% from protein, 21% from carb); 27 g protein; 18 g total fat; 8 g saturated fat; 6 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 18 g carb; 2 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 152 mg calcium; 3 mg iron; 88 mg sodium; 475 mg potassium; 424 IU vitamin A; 17 mg vitamin C; 145 mg cholesterol

This is perfect for those times when you don’t get back to check the garden as often as you should and find a couple of zucchini that would make great softball bats. Discard the seeds and any center part of the squash that has gotten hard or stringy and put the rest of what you scoop out into the filling.

3 large zucchini

1 ¼ pounds (570 g) ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 cups (475 ml) no-salt-added tomatoes

1 ½ cups (75 g) cooked rice or small pasta

1 teaspoon dried basil

6 ounces (170 g) Swiss cheese, sliced

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scrape out the center, leaving a thickness of about a half inch (1 ¼ cm). Discard the seeds and chop the remainder. Cook the meat, onion, and garlic in a large skillet until meat is done. Stir in tomatoes, rice or pasta, basil, and chopped zucchini. Cook the zucchini shells in boiling water until they begin to soften. Drain and place in baking pan. Divide the filling between the zucchini. Place 2 slices of cheese on top of each. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
366 g water; 452 calories (47% from fat, 32% from protein, 21% from carb); 36 g protein; 24 g total fat; 11 g saturated fat; 9 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 24 g carb; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 347 mg calcium; 4 mg iron;
99 mg sodium
; 1047 mg potassium; 720 IU vitamin A; 44 mg vitamin C; 103 mg cholesterol

Pork has a traditional reputation as being unhealthy because of the fat it contains. However, as the ads about “the other white meat” have told us, today’s pork is leaner and better for us than it used to be. You still need to be careful on several fronts here, though. First, not all cuts of pork are lean, so be choosy when you buy. Second, like poultry, pork is more and more often being “enhanced” with a solution that contains salt. In the case of one store, I’ve even seen pork that was labeled enhanced and did not contain a nutritional label, so it was impossible to know how much sodium was in it. As with everything, the best advice is to read the labels carefully.

These ribs are done in the traditional way, cooked most of the way with just a spice rub and then “mopped” with sauce near the end. This helps to keep the meat from getting too dried out. I personally prefer to smoke the ribs until they are nearly done, then move them to the grill for the last 20 minutes or so to sear the sauce into them.

2 pounds (910 g) pork spareribs

¼ cup (60 ml) cider vinegar

For rub:

½ cup (115 g) brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For sauce:

8 ounces (230 g) no-salt-added tomato sauce

½ cup (120 ml) cider vinegar

¼ cup (85 g) honey

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Brush ribs with vinegar. Mix rub ingredients together and rub into ribs. Smoke or grill until done. While ribs are cooking, combine sauce ingredients. Brush with sauce during the last half hour of cooking.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
162 g water; 529 calories (45% from fat, 15% from protein, 39% from carb); 21 g protein; 27 g total fat; 10 g saturated fat; 12 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 53 g carb; 1 g fiber; 49 g sugar; 78 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
106 mg sodium
; 694 mg potassium; 487 IU vitamin A; 8 mg vitamin C; 88 mg cholesterol

These need to be slow cooked. I wouldn’t turn the oven up higher than about 275°F (140°C, gas mark 1) if I did them that way. Too high a temperature and the honey will end up black and crispy. (Of course, some people like ribs that way.) I did these in the smoker and they turned out tender and juicy inside and just a little crisp outside. If you are not doing them in a smoker or over an indirect fire, you might also want to add a little liquid smoke to the glaze.